Rigid staffing ratios set by state government, the Globe said, “would alter the makeup of clinical teams, leading to more registered nurses – and relatively fewer of everyone else.”

The newspaper asked a critical question: “Would mandated staffing ratios improve the quality of care?” They determined that the answer was no and reasoned: “California, currently the only state with a nursing staffing ratio law, shows how changing the staff mix doesn’t necessarily lead to overall quality improvements. Academic researchers haven’t found evidence (in California) … of systematic improvements in patient outcomes.”

The newspaper warned that, in addition to disrupting care delivery teams, mandatory nurse staffing ratios would create a costly ripple effect throughout the healthcare system. Hospitals facing the ratios mandate would likely hire away nurses from other lower-paying jobs. This ripple effect would increase costs for hospitals and exacerbate workforce shortages for nursing homes, behavioral health institutions and other providers.

The newspaper concluded: “There’s not enough evidence that making hospitals hire more registered nurses would further the overarching goals of access, affordability and quality, and too many reasons to fear it might backfire on all three.”